Sales Tax Revenue Sharing committee formed, members announced in Seneca CountyPublished: 10/17/2016 @ 04:29 pm | Updated: 10/17/2016 @ 04:29 pmThe Seneca County Board of Supervisors named the individuals who would have a seat at the Special Committee on Sales Tax Revenue Sharing.

Sharing sales tax has been a hotly debated subject, as members of the board grapple with understanding what money would be shared, and how it would be shared with individual municipalities.

The Special Committee on Sales Tax Revenue Sharing will look at all potential options for the county. Waterloo Mayor Ted Young has been a staunch advocate for sales tax revenue sharing, and has spoken at multiple meetings on the subject.

At last week’s Seneca County Board of Supervisor’s meeting, which was held in Ovid – Deputy Mayor Dave Duprey talked about the importance of sharing revenues, so that budgets can be met more easily. Proponents of a sales tax sharing plan believe that the additional funds will offset potential cost to taxpayers, as municipalities work to cover budget gaps.

While Duprey suggested an even split between every municipality in Seneca County when he spoke at last Tuesday’s meeting – one potential area of concern for some is how the money will actually be divided.

Previous discussions about sales tax revenue sharing have looked at potentially splitting those funds up into graded chunks, depending on the size and population of the municipality. While that would benefit those in communities like Seneca Falls or Waterloo – it could create a challenge, as supervisors weigh all of their options, and ultimately are forced to vote on a solution.

The roster for this special committee will include:

Gary Westfall, Bob Shipley, Cindy Garlick Lorenzetti, Nick Sciotti, Brandi Deeds, and John Sheppard, who will serve as an ad-hoc member, without a vote.

No special dates have been set for the meeting of this committee, but on Tuesday, the supervisors will hold their monthly standing committee meetings, where the newly formed committee will have a chance to address some of the concerns. ... See MoreSee Less